Jesus presents us with a profound command: love your enemies. This kind of love doesn’t come naturally, and it almost seems impossible. Yet love is a journey, and we can grow into people of love simply by taking our first step.
Jesus told us to love our neighbors as ourselves, not more than ourselves. If we do not learn to love ourselves, we will struggle to love other people and to expand the circle beyond the people who are already inside so that they might experience the life-changing love of Jesus.
A new year brings a new opportunity for things to be different, yet we often pursue meaning and joy from things that cannot deliver. In 2025, let go of the pursuits that can't give life and seek the Jesus, the one who came so that we might have life and have it abundantly.
Most of us try to act like we have it all together. We become experts at denying and disguising our brokenness to others and even ourselves. The Christmas story shows us that Jesus comes to us in our brokenness in order to transform and heal us.
We know deep down that the good life isn’t about money, but still we find ourselves trying to pursue fulfillment, security, and happiness through accumulation. Jesus shows us that it’s only through letting go of greed and embracing generosity that we receive a life that is immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine.
We all learned as children that it’s important to be nice, but sometimes we mistake niceness for kindness, and we even justify unkindness in the name of niceness. Jesus shows us what true kindness looks like, and invites us to be kind, even when it doesn’t feel nice.
If we want to have strong and healthy families and relationships, we have to become healthier ourselves by seeking God’s healing in our own lives. As our families become healthier together, our households can become places of joy, kindness, and hope for a weary world.
In a society that is growing lonelier by the day, we desperately need community. Jesus invites us to a community where everyone is welcome and where God is healing us toward wholeness.
Solitude was once our default state when other people weren’t around. Now it’s nearly extinct. With distraction always easily at hand, we are losing the ability to endure uncomfortable emotions.…
Our lives are growing more and more complex, and we are growing more and more disconnected from the things that make us human. To simplify our lives, we have to reconnect with what it means to be part of God’s good creation.